Portrait
by Lycan Naval Mistress
Summary: With only vague information and an old sketch to hand, Lila almost gave up on finding the Knight of Iron and the Soldier of Hope until they found one another by accident (Slow building plot and relationships)
1. 1901

**1901, London England**

The china clinked as it was placed back down upon the table, Lila lifted her head to face the aging face of her friend seated opposite her still smiling just as brightly at her. It was almost unnerving if she hadn't known what that blank look in her friend's eyes combined with a loopy relaxed sort of grin that feel upon her lips at the same time meant. Her dear old friend was in the middle of a vision, seeing a future that might occur if things fell into place at the right time. It was never a complete certainty that the contents of her future sight would come to pass, there was always a chance that events would change.

The future wasn't set in stone, the very nature of the complex matrix that was the human mind. It was forever changing its path with the various decisions that it made, each a ripple on the surface of the river that was to be the path of existence switching the current, changing the direction of the individual life. Her friend got the glimpse into the mirrored surface, see the many different potential paths that lay before.

Lila sighed, waiting most patiently as she could bare knowing that the visions could last anything from mere moments to lengthy hours. It solely depended what her friend was seeing and importance of the events, both good and bad. Anything was an equal possibility of occurring within her foresight.

Forcing herself to sit up straight, Lila stretched her back which had started to ache. Her posture had never been particularly good. Her mother, god rest her soul would of had a fit if she could see her only child now slouching. A sad smile passed across her coral lips as thoughts of her dear old mother entered her mind. She hadn't thought of her in quite some time. She sighed softly to herself, after this social call came to a close then she pay her mother a visit. It made sense to make that journey now, it had been far too long since her last visit.

 _"Such a somber child you have become my friend"_ The playful tone shone through, her words shook as her age came through whenever she spoke. It brought Lila back, out of her thoughts and into the here and now bring a chuckle out of her lips.

 _"You know me too well it seems"_ Lila replied, shaking her head. Her long dark, liquid black locks dancing around as her head move from side to side, brushing across the base of neck every now and then. Her words were jolly, expressing her happiness of her long and lasting friendship that spanned across many years.

 _"I know you worry, I know you hate what has been bestowed upon you but please do not let such darkness fester within your heart. It will embitter you in what's to come "_ The worry, sorrow and concern bleed through, twisting around each word like a vine holding the emotion firmly in place as she spoke, taking a few breaths before continuing on.

 _"I have aged beside you, people have come to believe that my granddaughter visits me most often when you come calling but time has halted for you my friend of this I have come to see with my own two eyes. We are different and you will carry on without me soon enough"_ Held within her words was a finality that was not going to shift, she had long since past accepted her own mortality, that her death was upon the horizon. She would see the sun set but never see the majesty of it rising once again as dawn broke through.

 _"Let's not dwell upon such sorrowful thoughts, it is not why I asked for you to come here today Lila"_ There was a mysterious within those words as they fell off the tip of her tongue, Lila's head tilted to one side as she thought upon what her friend had just said. She had wondered why, it had been insisted upon that she visited today at this time. Not a minute earlier, not an hour later but at six in the evening on this particularly balmy of July nights.

 _"I have much to tell you, I have rarely seen you within my glimpses into the future but of late.."_ She paused for a moment to gather her words together, to form the explanation that felt most right. Lila could almost see the gears of thought turn, slip then reconnect as words passed through, were rejected and others took their place.

 _"All I see is a Knight of Iron and a Soldier of hope in bit and pieces, with your face flashing in between. I know not what it means"_ Confusion fell upon her brow, which soon was mirrored upon Lila's face. Whatever did this mean? Her words made little no sense but then again the visions themselves were not an easy thing to interpret. The message was never crystal clear and involved more often than not a little bit of guess work.

 _"I don't understand what could ever mean"_ Lila was baffled, never before had she been part of her friend's vision not even in passing. She reached her hand forward, taking back the now cooling cup of tea that had been made before she had arrived at the townhouse.

 _"Neither do I my friend but the fates will reveal their hand when there are metal birds flying through the blue sky"_ A soft chuckle echoed through as she laughed at her own words, they seemed an impossibility for such feats to happen. For there had only been a few motor car dashing through the busy street of London, Lila had been unsure of the sight of those strange modes of transport than did not require a horse at all.

She placed the cup to her mouth, taking a sip of the cold and slightly bitter golden liquid once more. She couldn't let it go to waste and see how time unfolded. How unlikely it would be to find an iron clad knight and a hopeful soldier in the heart of fair London town it would be.

Time would roll on but it would be many years before Lila found herself face to face with the consequences of her friend's vision, not in England but miles away across a vast sea in the depths of a cold, hard new world.


	2. 2010

Chapter 1

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

The kettle whistled, signalling that water was ready. He moved through from the living room with a slow careful precision that had been drilled into him. A thick manila folder lay open upon the marble counter revealing its confidential contents to anyone who dared peek in it's way. Simon made his way over to the counter with a newly made cup of coffee in hand, staring down at the information that he had been handed when he had started this long term surveillance mission. Agent Simon Cade was starting to grow weary, it had been just over three years since he had been first handed that folder.

The sound of his phone that he had carelessly left in the other room ringing brought him out of his own mind. He sighed deeply, this was just what he needed as another long day begun. He placed his full coffee cup on the dark marble counter before rushing out of the kitchen to answer the call.

* * *

 **New York City, 2010**

Lila stood before her mailbox, sighing knowing that it would be filled with nothing but junk mail and bills. Her small apartment in the high rise building in downtown Queens was nothing to shout about. It was meager but suited her needs. It served as a base, a place to lie her head, a place to come back to after a long day of distractions.

Distractions that would be considered mundane to any normal person going about their day, carrying out daily, average by the book tasks but to Lila, they were ways to keep herself occupied in the short time that she could spent in each location that she called home even though that might be brief, a few years give or take before someone noticed that she hadn't changed, that she wasn't showing any signs of physically aging. It had been long time since the last slip up, where she had remained in one place for far too long. It was something that wasn't going to repeated in a hurry.

She shook her head, pushing back the thoughts of time long since passed. She set out with her task, needing to be distracted. She pushed the top of mail box up and open before plunging her other hand inside. Her eyebrows shot up in a mix of surprise and confused when she felt something much larger seated at the bottom, beneath a few letters. Quickly she grasped at the bundle, pulling them out all in one shift motion.

Her eyes raked over the tightly wrapped, flat square object in brown paper as she tentatively turned in over in her hand. There were no unusual postal markings, only her name and address written by an unfamiliar hand. She did not recognize the sharp lettering upon the front of the package.

 _ **Miss Lila Wright**_

 _ **Apartment 608**_

 _ **Queens**_

 _ **New York**_

She made her way through the apartment complex, clutching the most strange parcel against her chest. The letters held loosely within her hand with her keys ready to unlock her front door. Lila kept her head down, choosing to climb the stairs over taking the elevator. This way she knew that she would easily avoid the majority of incoming and outgoing traffic from the various apartments. It was starting to make her arms ache holding the weighty package as she climbed from one floor to the next. The ground floor slowly became the sixth, the floor on which she had been residing. The paint upon the walls surrounding 608 was chipping away, it had been cracking when she had moved in.

This was the life that she had chosen for herself, one that avoided too much contacted. One where she laid low and out of the glaring gaze of the public, the gaze that judged people like her harshly that tarred the most innocent with the same brush as those who acted out in the name of the unwilling. Lila just wanted to be simply be, to exist for as long as her gift deemed her continued existence to be. She inserted her key into the lock, turning it until it clicked. Lila pressed down upon the handle before pushing inwards opening the door. Her kitten heeled feet crossed the threshold of her tiny box shaped home, shutting the door behind her. She rested against the heavy fire proof door, enjoying the slight chill upon her thinly covered back.

What a life she was now living, oh if Elise could see her now. She chuckled to herself, the laughter was more mournful than anything else as she thought upon her long since deceased friend. What a life indeed. She moved into the middle of the living room placing the letters to one side on the table by her front door on her way. She would take a proper look at them later, they were not immediately important. There was always tomorrow to flick through her junk mail.

The brown paper wrapped parcel felt heavier with every step that she took to cross the room. It weighed her hand down as if she was holding a lead weight. Lila took a seat upon the tattered patchwork covered sofa in the corner underneath the not really there window with a stiff hinge. The parcel she laid in her lap, her eyes fixed upon it as she tried to ran through possibilities before falling short of causing a headache.

She groaned, pained slightly as she could not work out why. There was only one thing left to do, open the damn thing. Lila took a deep breath as she ready herself to tear into the mysterious paper covered package with careful precision as Lila had no idea what might lay within, whether it might be delicate and easily breakable or if it was made to last.

She was poised with her one hand gripping at the side, concentrating on the task as she pulled her arm backwards. The paper began to rip, starting small before slowing growing in proportion to how far her arm went. The sound of someone knocking hard and fast at her door stopped her in mid flow. Her head tilted upwards away from the parcel in her lap. Who could be knocking at her door? They knocked once more inpatiently, not giving a moment between the first knock and the second.

Lila sighed putting the parcel aside, she would have to come back to that after handling whoever was on the other side of the door. She pushed herself up and off the lumpy and weathered sofa that occasionally doubled as her day bed on her occasional day off when there was nothing much to occupy her time with.

She soon stood before the door, with her hand upon the handle pushed down. Lila pulled it open. Her eyes softened at the sight before her that had been revealed as she opened her apartment door. "Back for more sugar?" She playful quipped, as she pressed her body firmly against the metal door, smiling at the person on the other side.


	3. The calm before the storm

Chapter 2

 **New York, 2010**

Lila's smiling gaze was fixed upon the man stood in the hallway, just outside of her apartment. Clive Robins had been nothing short of kind, he was the kind of neighbour that came in flashes, momentarily entering and exiting her life. He had shown no signs of wanting to anything other than a thoughtful neighbour, keeping an eye on her and the other single female tenants on the sixth floor.

There was no awkward underlying tension stemming from unresolved sexual desires. He had been open with her since the first day that they had met when she had moved into the building three years prior. Clive wasn't remotely romantically interested in her or her gender in the slightest. He wanted her friendship, occasionally coffee mornings to catch up. Nothing more, nothing less. Lila was more than happy to supply this.

Yes, she had wanted to avoid forming connections but at the end of the day there was no doubt that she was feeling the pull of loneliness in her self inflicted isolation. She needed the few and far between moments to make her feel more human, to feel alive and that she wasn't alone.

Clive was her stop gap, her emotional outlet for human connections, for being a normal friendly individual, not someone who simply existed within the city walls that made up New York. For that short while, Lila was more than a ghost, she was seen. It was an experience that could never be stretched beyond it's short means. This had always be a choice that he could never make. Lila had long since decreed that long term connections were something that she would never have again, they were not for her.

The pain of watching a loved one age and die, whilst she remained frozen in time. The pain was just too much to bear, it was agony with Elise. In a blink of an eye her friend had gone through the motions as the wheels of time had rotated, spun upon their axis. One moment, Elise had been a rosy cheeked young lady ready to face whatever was thrown in her way then the next she was a fragile shell of her former self lying in her sick bed; waiting for death to come take her to the hereafter.

The memory still haunted her at night, as Lila lay within her bed waiting for the sandman to whisk her into slumber. Sleep never came easily, not that it showed upon her face. For the deep, dark circles rarely formed for more than a few days and nights.

Her eyes still bright, her smile still wide as Lila watched the six foot three, slim built strawberry blonde man waiting for him to answer. His silver grey eyes turned downwards as a deep playful chuckle rumbled as he finally spoke.

"Sweetie, you're not quite lucky enough maybe if you were Mr 612" His words were playful, bantering with her as he often did when they had their little bi monthly coffee mornings in her barely there cupboard of kitchen. Lila shook her head laughing alongside Clive as she had skimmed from the few information that she had been given over the three years that she had known her neighbour that he wasn't single and ready to mingle. He was only teasing about the man that lived in apartment 612.

"Damn, just my luck Clive" Lila answered acting as if she feeling dejected, stung by his words. This was something that happened each time that she opened the door to revealing his brimming face.

"Are we going to stand in the doorway all afternoon, or are you going to invite me in for the devil's brew that you make delectable" His words held a tone of teasing, knowing that it would go no further but this was how the game between them was played. A back and forth, a verbal friendly round of tennis. Lila pulled the door towards her, revealing more of her apartment to Clive before she stepped aside as a sign for him to crossover the threshold and into her home.

"Come in then" She replied, sticking her tongue out at him, showing off her more childish side. A side of herself that most people did not get to see. Revealing this part of herself to Clive was her way of exhibiting her level of comfort with her neighbour, with her only friend in New York itself.

Clive did not hesitate and with a few steps he was inside. With one hand he closed the door behind him. "So tell me, did you stop drooling over the cutie who makes your morning coffee and ask him out"

* * *

 **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

 **8:45PM**

 _The loud shrill ringing of the phone quickly reached his ears prompting Simon to rush from one room to the other. The frequency of these sudden calls had rapidly declined from nightly, to once a week. His handler was losing interest in his reports on the target. The threat level had clearly lessened over time, his mundane lackluster observations and the information that he had scraped together had aided in the reassessment of one Miss L Wright._

 _Simon was struggling with the lengthy assignment that he had been given. Had they simply forgotten about the Agent that had been in the field for the past three years, almost babysitting someone who had once been demeaned a potential threat. She was far from this outdated badge that had attached when they couldn't begin to understand what she was capable of back in the day. Time had changed, the world had moved forward._

 _In his eyes, Lila Wright simply wanted to fade into the background. There was no threat to humanity, there was no possibility of her stepping into the light and causing mayhem to any sense of the word. She had more in common with a mouse, Lila was meek, reserved and skittish at times. The agent was beginning to wonder if this was a punishment for a low level grievance, to keep him out of the way in a never ending cycle of boredom and small talk._

" _Nothing exciting happens in New York City, especially not to me" He mumbled to himself, his shoulders slouched reflecting his hopelessness as he answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear._

" _Good evening Ma'am, I have my lastest report for you ready" His professionalism returned as the first word fell off the tip of his tongue. The agent was back in control of himself, he needed to appear as calm and collected as possible. He wandered back towards his bedroom, trying not to dwell upon the thoughts that drifted up. He still had a job to do at the end of the day, even if he had hopes for more._


	4. 168 hours

**Chapter 3- 168 hours**

Her heart raced, pounding like a jackhammer as she tried to catch her breath. Sweated poured like river, coating Lila from head to toe. Blood smeared across her neck, over her chest staining her now filthy, tattered and torn clothes. She stood still, silent for a moment taking in all that had happened, all that lead up to this moment in time, hiding in an alley as chaos ensured. She was no hero, she was a coward in her own eyes. Forever on the run, never looking back over her shoulder, out of fear.

"Stupid, stupid" She cursed at herself, why had she not thought her actions, her decisions through more clearly. Lila continued to mentally kick herself as she rested her head against the bare bricks that had once been the outside wall of her apartment building. In the confusion of all that occurred, her feet still found her way back to the place that she called home.

There was not much left of the upper floors but still she would try to recover some of her meagre belongings and fade into the light of the early morning sun. To think that only twenty four hours ago, it had just been another day, following the same routine as the day before. There shouldn't have been anything special about this particular day but how wrong she had been. How wrong indeed.

 _The clock winds backwards, reversing all that occurred_

* * *

 ** _Twenty four hours ago_**

 ** _3:01pm_**

Her black kitten heels clicked firmly against the pavement beneath her feet. Each step as confident as the one that came before. Lila walked through Downtown New York, glancing at the high buildings that surrounded her as she went. Tomorrow, she would have to return to the working world once more.

It was a necessary evil that she needed to keep up the illusion that she was a normal, average work a day young woman trying to make it in the city. Not that this was actually the case. On the surface, Lila Wright was just another twenty something was something to prove. She simply wanted to sail through, remain as invisible as possible whilst still living her life to a degree. She had no destination in mind, just wandering through the streets that made up the city itself.

It was a rare day for her to be completely carefree as after all Lila knew that she would not be remembered by anyone that passed her by. She was just another faceless individual in the growing crowd that walked these streets beside her. With a smile pinned from ear to ear to keep up the carefree mask that she hide behind. It was an act that she relied heavily upon to just get her through each and every day.

The weight of her knowledge, her experience of the world weighed her down. It was burden that she had no choice but to bear. This gift, this curse held her firmly in the place. Lila knew that she wasn't going anywhere off this plane of existence. Life had her in a vice like grip. Death was nothing but an illusion to a woman such as she. Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't need her shoulder brush past another's. Lila just kept on walking not realising who she had albeit briefly walked into.

The man stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, staring at her confused but a sense of relief washed off him, knocking off that weight that had been laying upon his shoulders for far too long. There wasn't a moment to lose!

* * *

 ** _Ten hours ago_**

 ** _5:01am_**

Lila lay there, covers had long since been pushed aside. This was the second night in a row that the sweet embrace of slumber eluded her. The mask had dropped as soon as the door swung behind her, closing the world from her sight. She had retreated into herself, losing herself to her memories, to the ones that she pushed down into the depths of her very being.

Death had always been hard, watching time rip away friends, family and those she held within her heart. The names echoed within her mind, as she tried to close her eyes and count sheep's into dream.

 _Mother_

 _Father_

 _Jackson_

 _Elise_

 _Arthur_

 _Elizabeth_

 _Ann_

 _Francis_

 _Alexander_

The names rolled out one by one, as the faces of the long since dead haunted Lila, creeping their way out of their mental prison. The key had twisted, releasing the lock from its place, letting the ghosts of her past reign free. The anniversaries of Elise and Alexander's deaths, decades apart torn at her far worse than the rest.

Her dearest friend and the last man that she dared to let in, past her guard and into her heart. Elise, to old age and Alexander, to the grim truth of war. Each had been her pillar of strength holding her up, making her feel almost whole before the carpet was ripped out from underneath sending her soaring back down, landing hard and empty once again. Sun rise would not be long, as minutes tick by slowly. Each second felt like an lifetime before the next tick rang through.

The trickle of light rising from the horizon during nights when sleeping was simply not possible was her alarm clock, to get up and start the day. Â It was a beacon of light, warm and welcoming to those who dared to hope and dream. For Lila, the warmth barely touched the tips of her finger tips anymore.

Alexander had always likened the rise of the sun, to that of a most delicate flower opening, revealing its beauty to the world as it woke from its slumber. His poetic words had touched her heart, seducing the gentle lady from the depths of her soul back past the rough edges that time had crafted as she travelled the path that she had been given to walk along.

Lila lifted her head, shaking the sorrowful thoughts to one side, locking them away once more as she pulled herself up into a seated position, her legs dangling over the bed. She thought once more, of the life that once had been hers. The life before she know of her gift, of her curse when she had been a simple girl chasing a simple dream of being married to a man that would love her for who she was.

She scoffed at her childish of dreams, remembering how naïve she had been all those years ago. With one more push, she found herself upon her feet. Lila stretched her arms out, cracking the aching joints before letting them fall back down to her sides.

 _"Another day in a world where not a soul truly knows me"_ She said to the empty room, knowing that no-one was listening. Loneliness dripped heavily from each word as she fell from the tip of her tongue.

 ** _Tick tock goes the clock as fate creeps closer in_**

* * *

 ** _45 minutes to go_**

Lila wasted no time, as she pulled a sweatshirt on over the vest top and loose pants that she had been wearing whilst trying to count sheep. She needed to get out, the incessant noise within her own mind had started to pick open old wounds. Ones that she had long since put to bed. She needed to run. In running she found a silence that rarely appeared in the long stretches of time spending rattling around the apartment with no other company by her own.

Once her worn trainers were on her feet, she was ready to go. Not caring what time it was, Lila knew that she needed this momentary escape. She chuckled to herself, thinking of her means of grounding herself. Running had always been a means of survival but now it had become something more. A positive and a negative negating the other out. Elise would know what to do next but that luxury had long since passed.

The door of her home slammed firmly, before without much of second thought locking the door behind her and heading out to clear her head never knowing that time was against her.


	5. Bang goes the world as we know it

**Chapter 4 - Bang goes the world as we know it**

Thinking back, Lila would have never guessed that this would be how her world collapsed in on itself. She thought back, hopelessly staring up at the remains of what had been her home.

"It's gone" She quietly whispered to herself, finding it hard to believe that a few hours ago that the red bricked building had been standing proudly mere feet away from where she stood. Another home gone. This was a crystal clear sign that it was time to move on from this place, find somewhere new where no-one knew her, where she was faceless part of the crowd.

 _ **Invisible**_

 _ **Unimportant**_

 _ **Nobody**_

It was all that she wished to be, forgotten and let alone to carry on with her unnatural long life. Now it was time to start over again, slight change in name when settling in along with a new backstory. This way, she could distance herself from this glaring misfortune in the long line of incidents that occurred over her lifetime. She tried her utmost to hold her head up, refusing to let the sorrow and shame completely claim her in this moment. Blood staining her once clean clothes, tattered from what she had recently gone through. Choice had gone her here, the end of another road.

She had chosen to intervene, to save the life of her neighbour, no ex-neighbour. Lila had to remind herself. She had chosen to step in, take the blow was meant for a man who when all was said and done, she barely knew. From the few interactions that had across the time that she had known him, she had glimpsed very little about the actual man himself. A man she had considered the closer example of an actual friend. When in truth, he had been no more than an vague acquaintance that popped in and out of her life.

She had not really wanted to face the reality that she had opened herself up more, that she had dared to think possible. Maybe this was why she had acted, letting that creature's blade slice into her. Not once but twice. The pain was something that she would never truly get used to.

She remembered the sting of the piercing blade as it slide easily through flesh like a knife through butter. For a moment, as she stood toe to toe with that beast, Clive behind her. Lila felt brave, a wave of courage welled up from within, filling her. She had been ready to thrown down her life for the chance to save another for the eternal slumber before shouting for the man to run. He tried to hesitate but Lila hadn't let her. Shouting at the top of her lung as the weapon had been extracted from her chest barely missing her heart, before it was plunged into her throat with a renewed brutal force, as the creature tried to finish off his prey.

Dark spots had speckled across her vision. Lila had known what was happening to her, what she was experiencing as it occurred before, a few times across the length of her lifetime, for a short while, all is calm, dark, and pain free. To dangle albeit briefly over the jaws of deaths before she sharply thrown back into the hellfire of life.

She shook her head, forcing herself back to reality. Her hair already drenched. Her body was exhausted from the last round of healing. It was time to make a move. The sound of several pairs hurried feet approaching from behind her.

'This is all I need right now' She thought, full of frustration. Lila deeply sighed, turning around to face the oncoming storm. She blinked, wide eyed and confused at the sight before.

"Clive?" She questioned, concerned at the sight of her former neighbour looking worse for wear standing next to a stern looking, greying older woman.

" _ **Lila Wright, it would be best if you came with us. It's time we had a talk about your future"**_


	6. Waiting like no tomorrow

_Chapter Five_

 _ **Three days later**_

Lila paced around the tiny box like room in which she found herself contained in, feeling like a caged animal. A metal cage that she could not escape from. Not that she hadn't tried a few times. The door was not budging, sheer yet limited brute force wasn't going to help. She could handle more than just a few little bruises but a headache in her temple was starting to brew.

This was more than a little frustrating, a few days in this cell with little to no human interaction. Meals arrived at the same times each day slid through the slot at the base of the door followed by a voice commanding her to eat what she was given. It was blunt and straight to the point each time, full of annoyance almost wishing they were anywhere else but delivering her scraps that hardly could be considered a full meal.

In the first twenty fours, she had screamed at the top of her lungs until her voice became hoarse, her throat scratchy and dry. Lila had wanted answers from Clive, no Agent Cade. She had reminded herself to correct his name. His identity had been one of many well crafted lies. She mentally kicked herself, to think that everything that she had come to know about the man had been false, right down to the name he used.

" _How could I be so stupid and not see this deception?"_ She cursed outwardly, more aimed at herself. Lila couldn't believe that she had let her walls down for but a moment, only to have the rug pulled from beneath her feet like this.

* * *

Agent Isadore MacLain's razor sharp gaze was transfixed on the monitor in front, displaying the various cells within the faculty. Only a handful filled, one of which more interesting than the others. It was incredibly rare to have an individual such as Lila Wright in custody. She was a slippery woman to say the very least. She had kept under the radar far longer than most.

Papers scattered across her makeshift desk, this was not her normal haunt. This assignation had changed rapidly, since the target in question one Miss Lila Wright had ramped it up a gear by taking action in the chaos.

"You are sure that this is everything that was recovered?" She pointedly asked the only other occupant of the small surveillance room that had been set up in a hurry. Her tone was cutting and wasted no time getting straight to the heart of the matter. In her hand, she held a simply but detailed sketch. The date and artist name was barely visible in the bottom left hand corner. If she were to dare guess, it was at the turn of the century piece but Agent Maclain was not a gambling woman, far from it.

"Yes, Ma'am. This is everything" His words were sincere to a fault especially when addressing a superior with a half truthful answer, telling her what she wanted to hear as commanded from above. Isadore turned her head, locking eyes with Agent Cade. "Good, you are aware of who this resembles Agent"

"Without a shadow of a doubt Ma'am" His gaze briefly lowered, taking in the charcoal features displayed upon the aging page. It was almost as if they were staring straight back and up at him. He did not need words to verify what Agent Maclain already knew to be truth.

"I have only seen such remarkable detail like this one before. Rarely does one of Elise Wolf's sketches get into circulation" There was a momentary glimpse of excitement at the mere thought of possessing the beta level threat with precognitive abilities. Identified posthumously when information passed through the cracks in the wall that her family had created protecting her legacy.

"It's time to talk to Miss Wright. Cade have her brought to Room three" The command was ever present, lingering in every word that fell from the tip of her tongue as she calmly ordered Agent Cade much like every time that came before. He wordlessly nodded before leaving the room to carry out the command like the perfect soldier he was expected to be.

* * *

Lila's head snaps up at the sound of the heavy metal cell door unlocking, it seemed that it was time for answers to be had. She quickly moved closer to the door. This was a new development, a step closer to getting out of the box that she had barely existed in. It had contained her battered spirit. Lila needed time to heal, to process what had occurred in the days prior but first she needed a reason for this sudden imprisonment.

Her eyes glued upon the doorway, as the door itself swung inwardly revealing the unfamiliar face of another suited individual, earpiece firmly in place along with the visible sign of a holstered gun sat upon his hip beneath the dark colored suit jacket. Lila waited for the agent to speak, her lips had gone dry and were beginning to crack.

"Agent Maclain wishes to see you" The words that were spoken, held no conviction of choice. Lila was going whether she liked it or not. His gaze was empty, as if he was an automaton, devoid of any emotion.

"Then lead the way" Nerves were starting to build, as butterflies emerged from within the depths of her stomach. Whoever this Agent Maclain was, Lila pined any hope on them having answers to at the very least some of her more pressing and burning questions, like why she was here. She did not need to think, just move as she crossed the cell and slip past the agent and out of her stuffy box. They did not speak as they walked down the corridor away from the holding cells and further into the base.

* * *

Agent Maclain patiently waited, say behind the small desk, in a chair that squeak as she rocked back and forth. She also held questions within her mind but lacked answers. The thick manila file lay upon the strong metallic surface, next to a neat pile of letters and papers. This meeting had long been coming, now that Lila had shown her true colors.

She was not the meek mouse that she portrayed to the world. There was fire and courage beneath those lack luster locks that had seen better days. The mouse had a spine to act and save lives, not just sit back and let the world burn before her very eyes. This was her chance to prove that this natural born enhanced was a threat which needed to be permanently contained.

The enhanced were a severe threat that needed to be either contained and used for the benefit for the human race, if that wasn't an option then they were to be _**eliminated**_.


	7. Question me once, answer me thrice

_**Chapter Six**_

The light that hung above flickered, as it swung on the remains of the cord that once held it fixed in place. It was as tired as the chip paper that once lined the walls, which had long since fallen into disrepair. This little room in the furthest corner of the property had once more action than a few lingering shadows that now crept through it's halls. S.H.I.E.L.D had no further use for this early outpost of the fringe of New York City.

It had been forgotten, listed only within the archives for sites still owned by the organisation and remember by the few who used to call this home base. Agent Maclain had been an Agent of the smaller New York base once upon a time. Those days had long since past in a blur of fast paced missions and excitement as she climbed the ranks.

She had never thought that she might find herself back at the beginning. Shaking her head, as an empty and tired laugh past through her thin lips. The old days had been hell, they were better left in the past where they belonged. She wanted to simply forget but those who embodied those moments in history still remained.

Lila Wright was one of those individual, time clung steadfast to her and just wouldn't let go, then of course then was Captain Steve Rogers. The image of the war torn man fighting for his country. Oh how she despised him so. He represented all she desired to forget. There was nothing wholesome about the world left behind, the war had only woken the urge for chaos and destruction in humanity. It had not shaped a new future, one of peace and prosperity that they had been promised.

New weapons had been born. Captain America was nothing more a glorified weapon in human form. _"When will this end, this worship and idolisation of enhanced weapons born out of desperation and despair"_ She spoke her word full of frustration and venom for those who walked freely amongst the unsuspecting human population. All whilst remaining herself that there was one less now.

Smirking, proudly to herself at the very thought, she shuffled the papers upon the desk in front of her. Into the silence came three knocks at door announcing that Maclain was no longer alone. The malicious hatred had to be put aside for now at the very least. _"Enter"_ She quickly answered, not wanting to wait much longer. There was no doubt in her mind, there were questions that needed answers. Answers that only Lila Wright could prove.

The door soon opened, she did not raise her gaze. _"Thank you Agent, that will be all"_ She waited for the sound of the door closing before she spoke again.

 _"I take it Miss Wright that you have been treated well. After all you are but a guest here"_ The word were void of emotion, masking any contempt. She raised her gaze away from the documents to meet Lila's. _"Please take a seat"_

 _"I would rather stand for the time being"_ She answered, just as coolly. This was her chance to gain the information that she was after. Why had she had brought in? Why had she been watched and for long?

 _"If you insist Miss Wright. I can imagine that you have burning questions in regards to Agent Cade"_ Came in response. Lila kept her gaze focused upon the older woman's face. To her, it was almost as if she had found herself face to face with a statute. There was nothing there, no emotions, no ticks to give away the game. Agent Maclain was a hard one to read.

 _"We have indeed been watching for some time Miss Wright, Agent Cade was latest in a line of Agents assigned to your case."_ Lila's eyes widened in shock, how long had this been going on for. Years? She could not even bring herself to guess. Who else had wandered in her path at the wishes for a mysterious shadow firm. Passing back intelligence on her comings and goings.

She took a step closer _"Why? I am no-one of importance. I just want to be left alone"_ Her voice rose up, the anger welling up from within. _"Who would deem me worth watching!"_ She could no longer hold back, Lila needed to know the truth but all followed was a breath of silence.

 _"You were born on the 5th August 1826, that would make you one hundred and eighty four years. If my math is correct Miss Wright?"_ This was not the information that she was expecting.

 _"No-one can be that old..."_ She trailed off when she realised that she didn't know who she addressing. Lila would not deny or confirm for the sake of her own safety. _"But you are Miss Wright. We are aware exactly who you are"_ This was going nowhere fast. Lila felt as if this woman was leading her in a game, a round in circle to string this out for as a possible. To see if she would break and give in.

 _"I ask again, who are you? And who do you work for?"_ Lila stood behind the chair, gripped at the top of the back rest. She spoke with conviction, her gaze never once moving from Agent Maclain's.

 _I am Agent Maclain. It is seems I have forgotten to introduce myself"_ Only one question had been answered but it was a start at least. The response had been given in the same flat tone, hiding everything and revealing nothing. _"All will be made clear in time"_ She spoken again, this was something that Lila hadn't expected but still she couldn't relax, not yet.

 _"Ok, Agent Maclain why am I here?"_ She pushed, trying a different tack. She was getting nowhere with her previous question. Maybe this one would yield a better response.

 _"You saved Agent Cade's life in the midst of a disaster zone. However your heroism was caught on film and has gone viral"_ Agent Maclain placed photos from the file on the table for Lila to see. Each showed shots of her. Though a few were fuzzy, they still played out her actions. This news shook her to the core. She was standing in the spotlight for all to see.

 _"We are grateful for the fact that you saved one of our own but we cannot ignore this"_ She waved her over the photos to further highlight her point. _"We at S.H.I.E.L.D can help but we require assistance in return. What do you know about Elise Wolf and her artistic visions?"_ Once more Agent Maclain removed something from the file but this time it was singular aged document. What was placed on top on the photos was familiar to Lila. What was she found herself re-examining was a piece of her past that she clung tightly to, from the day her friend's will had been read out.

That drawing had been part of a set, one that made little sense to her at the time. It had been bestowed upon her. The whole collection had, but this particular drawing she treasured. Elise had told her that she felt it needed polishing up, that it wasn't perfect. Lila begged to differ. Each drawing held detail but yet there was always a secret message. One that only Elise might be able to understand. To see that it hadn't been lost in the ruins of the apartment, warmed her heart. The rest she knew were safe, locked away in several different safe boxes in cities in several states across the country. Just to be safe.

 _"She was my friend, I know little of the full message behind each drawing"_ Honesty coated each word that Lila said. She had no real reason to lie. _"Only what Elise choose to tell me. This is where the future begins"_


	8. Others like you

Lila had no reason to lie, there was no point as it wouldn't get her out of the situation that she haplessly found herself in.

 _This is where the future begins_

The true message behind the crypt and vague message hollow to all other than her dear departed friend, a message left behind to be decoded in time. Lila had gone over the six worded messages more than a dozen times but could never comprehend what her dear friend had meant. Where would the path led? To whose future had started? Hers? No, it couldn't of been as the messages was too open ended and almost lack a directional path but then again Elise's visions had never been quite so crystal clear.

Her gaze still fixed upon the drawing laid before her, Lila could not tear herself away from the pencil drawn faces on the aged and slowly discolouring paper. Although they lacked defining colours, they did not lack detail and depth. Elise could always capture the emotion of the moment.

"What do mean by…." The question was cut short as someone knocked at the door, three times. They were heavy sounding and followed in quick succession. Whoever was on the other side of the door, they wanted the attention of Agent Maclain.

Wordlessly, she rose from her seat and left the room, leaving Lila with more questions spinning around in her mind.

* * *

 **_December 24th 1901_ **

_"Lila, there is something I must tell you" Elise spoke, her words shaking as she struggled to get to end of her sentence but still there a lingering warmth regardless of her current situation._

 _Lila frowned, concerned more for her friend's health than anything else. She took the seat closest to the bed. "Elise, you need to rest we can talk in after that" She tried to reason with her but this was losing battle. Lila would rarely come out the victor when it came to disagreements with her oldest and dearest friend._

 _Elise was far too stubborn for her own good, especially as the years had not be so kind to her. She had long since buried her husband and first child, now her health was failing her too._

 _"I must speak, I know what awaits me just before dawn. I won't see tomorrow my friend" The finality hung heavily in the air, painting the mood and dampening any joy that had been there moments before. Elise had long since warned her that she had seen her own death, it had been the first and only vision that she could easily understand. Lila's shoulders dropped, as she leant back in the chair. She would remain silent, letting her friend speak what was on her mind._

 _"Thank you Lila" She started, her voice hoarse and tired, only pausing for a moment to gather her thoughts. "I needed to see you before I left you alone once more. I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't my friend. You and I we are the same but yet different but there will come a time when you find others like us, they are out there waiting to be discovered"_

 _The emotion bleed through with each sentence that followed, the heart-breaking grief at the very thought of leaving this world behind. "I can't keep my beloved husband waiting any longer Lila. My time is coming swiftly to its conclusion" Elise could no longer hold her tears as she thought of the man who changed her life forever, the man who dared to accept a woman such as she into his life, and into his heart. She missed him more and more with each passing day. For a piece for her had left with him._

 _He had been the one, her soulmate. The one that she had never seen coming._

 _"They are waiting for you Lila, they will light up your world from the moment you first touch" Elise yawned through her words, as she drifted off to sleep. A sorrowful smile playing on her lips, knowing full well that death was waiting to her. Elise was finally ready to face it head on. She was no longer afraid of this moment, for she had been preparing for it all her life. She would greet the reaper with her head held high, ready for whatever lay beyond this life. For this was her time, where her story ended._

 _Lila's was only just starting to unfold_


	9. Escape

Left alone with her thoughts, Lila turned her attention to the folder. A sorrowful smile spread across her lips, as tears became to well up in her eyes. Thoughts of days gone by that she had long since buried resurfaced once more.

" _Why did you make me promise Elise"_ She mumbled, as she pulled the manila folder closer. The familiar face of her long since deceased friend gleefully smiling up at her broke the dam as the tears came flooding down her cheeks like a river. The time for grief was overdue, it had always been put on hold one too many times. Lila needed to finally be able to give into her grief.

Tear droplets splashed upon the photo " _When is the right time to reveal the truth?"_ She questioned to the empty room, her voice getting louder with each word spoken. " _How am I meant to know!"_ Lila screamed at the top of her lungs, the words bounced off the walls and rebruated back at her. The high emotion, the grief, frustration that she carried all these years fired back at her.

As Lila gave into her grief in the little box of a room

* * *

Agent Cade took this moment, knowing that his superior was tied up with an important phone call, that had been arranged to give him this opportunity to strike. He quickly pushed open the door to the interrogation room, to be greet with a sight that was far from what he had expected to see. Lila Wright, broken with tears freely cascading down like a river that had broken its banks.

He stood stunned for a mere second, taking in the scene before him. Watching her very heart shatter into a million pieces. This was something that he had never seen from her before in the time that he had come to know Lila. He had never seen her shred a tear and cry. Her mask had fallen from her face, revealing woman underneath it all, who could barely hold herself together. He could almost see the threads in between the pieces of her very being. This was her soul laid bare.

He made a choice, to make his presence known. In her anguished state of mind, Lila had not noticed his entrance into the room. He made his way across the room until he was standing right behind her before gently placing a hand upon her clothed shoulder. He knew better than most. Lila Wright did not like to be touched. She shied away from any form of skin on skin contact. Something that she had never fully explain, he had never felt the need to push her to open up about it. He respected her privacy, let the matter lay a closely guarded secret.

" _Lila, come with me"_ He keep it straight to the point, trying to catch her attention. Her head shot round, the path of sorrow had run red raw. She did not speak, did not answer just keeping staring. " _Lila come with me. There isn't time to explain"_ He repeated his initial wording, all whilst making it clear that this window of time was running out.

Lila nodded, Simon sighed glad of this before stepping back over to the doorway, giving her space to move. She swiftly pushed back the chair, before getting up from her seat at the desk. She opened her mouth to speak, to question but Simon beat to punch. " _There is no time for questions. We need to move now"_ His words cut her down, emphasising on the importance and constraint of time once more before stepping through the open doorway. Lila took the hint, this was the moment when she fly once more. She didn't hesitate, rushing out of the door after Simon Cade.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all

* * *

Lila sighed, resigned to the fact that once again she was being watched. At least this time around, she was aware of this fact. This time around was different but yet she was starting over again in a different state and in a new city.

In a way, it was almost as though someone had simply pushed pause on her life then restarted it once she had been placed here, in this new apartment. This new place to call home, which had been purposely laid out to resemble her last place. Only someone with inside knowledge of her former home would have known, then the penny dropped.

Lila knew how had done this, who had sorted all this out for her. She know understood what he meant. This was the physical manifestation of an apology, of his sorry. He was human underneath the spy. He had actually cared for her. He had been her friend and this was his way of showing her that.

She thought back, remembering the deathly silence between the pair of them as Agent Simon Cade led her up and out of the facility. His pace quickening but still he remained vigilant. His silence spoke to her, reminding of her of days gone by. Days that she had yet to speak of to another. They had twisted through too many corridors to count, travelled up various flights of stairs until they had reach a set of doors. He had pushed them open to reveal a car waiting in the stillness of night.

" _I don't understand Cl...Cade"_ She said, having to correct herself mid sentence, now that knew his true name, his new identity." _Why are you doing this?"_ She questioned, wanting to know the motive behind this escapade.

Cade turned on his heel to face her, his face gave away nothing. It was void of emotion, just like before " _Orders from above Miss Wright, Everything is in place to ensure your safety in the days to come"_ His wording was vague, giving no clue to what lay ahead for her. Just that she would be safe. Lila knew that could mean anything.

" _Do you mean I'll be under lock and key again, moved around like cattle!"_ She needed to know as she raised her questioning his statement.

" _No Miss Wright, you'll be able to come and go as you please, just that you'll have a handler assigned to you. They will introduce themselves after you settle in. Now please get in the car"_ As the last word fell from his lips, he nodded before moving past her and back into the facility. Closing the doors and leaving her with very few options. She took a deep breath and gather her thoughts together, before deciding to get into the car. Wherever it took her couldn't be any worse than her current situation.

She shook her, humming happily to herself, Lila stepped further into the living room. Her eyes danced about the place, from wall to wall until they stopped on the table. Her eyes wider in shock, in disbelief at the sight of the brown papered package that she had half opened. They had not kept it but she was more than certain they would. Since it seemed that this S.H.I.E.L.D believed that she held the answers to the many cryptic clues that Elise left behind for the world to try and interpret.

It had been the right choice to make, regardless of the minor annoyance of having to deal with a handler but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. For now she could breath and get used to her new surroundings.


	10. Number 13 as years go by

**Chapter 9 - Number 13 as years go by**

 _Tick Tock_ goes the clock on the wall, Lila's eyes were transfixed upon the pair of hands as they slowly made their journey around from one side to the other. She sighed heavily, three months had passed without a problem. This handler of hers had not made themselves known. No knock at the door or casual meeting in the hallway between neighbours who wanted to make small talk about this or that.

Lila couldn't bare to wait inside for another second longer, she moved towards the door. She had been far too patient, waiting for this mystery person to make themselves known to her. To sudden appearance out of left field, when it was convenient to them. This was an arrangement that was grating on her last nerve.

She pulled her front door open, revealing the deathly silent hallway. No one would be awake at this early hour of the morning. Unless they were night owls working the graveyard shift, preferring the unsociable hours to escape the general hustle and bustle of the masses. Lila doubted that her neighbours were quite like this, she had started to notice patterns in their comings and goings with all the free time that she presently possessed.

She pulled the door slowly towards her back, trying to minimise the sound. She needed not to caught, she needed to make a break for freedom. Lila wanted to disappear into the night once more. Taking a few deep breaths, she took a few steps away from the door and towards that goal.

With her head held down, Lila passed the first few doors, they all remain silent and closed. This was a sign, waves of confidence rushed up from her toes. She continued on, her stride wider and fast as she made her way down towards the stairwell. She was too lost in her mission to notice a door had open.

 _"Out of a nightly stroll Miss Wright?"_ A voice called out from behind her, making Lila stop in her tracks. She froze in place, knowing that she had been stopped, discovered. She tried turning her head to look over her shoulder to see who it was. To see which one of them was awake and in the hall with her. She couldn't turn her head far enough around. Lila had no choice but to turn around.

She soon found herself turned around, facing the way that she come from. Her eyes quickly landed upon the open door, finding a blonde haired woman leaning against the wooden doorframe.

 _"I was unable to sleep"_ Lila found herself answering, as she realised this woman knew who she was, yet her face was unfamiliar. Lila had not seen in her in passing in the last three months, not even for but a moment. Then a thought dropped through the confusion, maybe this was one that she was waiting for.

 _"I highly doubt that Miss Wright, I was planning to introduce myself in the morning"_ Frustration wrapped around the words as the blonde woman spoke, annoyed by this sudden change in her plans. _"Yet here we are, I am your handler. Agent Sharon Carter but to prevent my cover being blown, you will call me Kate"_ She started briefly explaining the details but this was far from the right place for such a private conversation.

Agent Carter placed her hand upon her head out of sheer annoyance for this sudden change in her plans, but she needed to call it a night. _"We will continue in the morning, right Miss Wright?"_

Lila stiffly nodded in reply, stunned by this strange interaction in the middle of the night in an empty hallway. _"Sure but I have…"_ She started but the blonde agent interrupted her flow.

 _"I don't doubt that you have many questions but in the morning. Good night Miss Wright"_ with that the conversation was over. Agent Carter didn't hesitate to drift back into her apartment, closing the door, leaving Lila alone with her thoughts. She had a choice then a there, standing in the middle of empty corridor. Leave or go back to her apartment and wait for the morning. She torn between the two options. This was the moment that she had waited three months for, could she wait one more night?

She had waited this long, she sighed once more before making her decision. Lila headed home, to sleep and discover what tomorrow revealed

* * *

 ** _Three years later_**

The early morning sun begun to breach the horizon, soon it would be shining down brightly, reflecting itself back upon the water of the lake that stood at the steps of the Lincoln memorial with greenery of the surrounding area, which would soon be soaking up the light of the dawning sun hidden below.

It was a beautiful day, perfect for jogging around the area for both exercise and sheer pleasure. This was the reasoning that Sam Wilson had as he began his lap, all whilst knowing that another would be running the same daily route as him. Maybe today, he would be finally say hi.

The great city of Washington D.C dwelled mere feet away, framing the sweeping, quiet park with it's majesty. Forever reminding anyone who dared to glance backwards of the history that came with such a city, a crowning jewel where the country had been build up from. Sam felt a wave of proudness rise from deep within, as he slowly jogged on.

 _"On your left"_ He heard shouted from behind him, as a blonde haired muscular man, with a familiar face caught up with, before quickly dashing past him. That kind smile that blurred as the man disappeared into the distance continuing on with his lap. Sam did not think anything of, shaking his head chuckling to himself before he heard the sound of approaching footsteps from behind him once more.

 _"On your left"_ Came once again, from the same male voice as he lapped Sam. _"Uh-huh on my left, got it."_ He called back as he continued on his own lap. He had not answered before now. He tried to concentrate on controlling his breathing, as he pushed his body forward around his familiar haunt.

The familiar fast paced footsteps echo from behind once more, Sam knew what was coming. He knew that this man was going to shout out as he passed him by. _"Don't say it, Don't say it"_ He shouts out in frustration, as the blonde rushes past. For a moment, there was silence but soon came a call.

 _"On your left"_ Came for a third time, _"COME ON!"_ Sam shouted loudly, showing his annoyance and frustration. He pushes on, rounding the corner, trying to catch up with him. His pace quickens but it is not enough to run shoulder to shoulder with the blonde man. His breathing deepens, as his lungs begin to burn. He knows now that he will not be able to reach the other's man pace. It is simply impossible feat. He has to stop, just to catch his breath for a moment.

He slows his pace, until he comes to complete standstill before struggling over to rest beneath a tall tree. His breathing fast and unsteady as he stands there, shaded by the leaves and branches high above his head. Beads of sweat drip down his face, leaving wet streaks in their wake before he slides down the trunk to sit at the base of the tree with his back against the bark. The grass rustles as someone approaches, Sam looks up, as soon as he sees a shadow at his feet.

 _"Needs a medic?"_ The same voice as before questions, worry and concern mingled amongst the words. He lifts his head, with his breathing returning, slowing back down. The pain and burning in his lungs dissipating away which was soon replaced with laughter.

 _"I need a new set of lungs"_ Sam jokingly said before continuing to speak " _You ran like thirteen miles in thirty minutes"_ Surprise and confusion lingered as he spoke, shocked that such a feat would be even remotely possibly but this man had done such a thing. He could not hazard a guess at the extent.

 _"I guess I got a late start"_ His fellow runner answer explaining away for his actions. Sam couldn't hold his response back, it had lingered upon the edge of his tongue for but a moment before suddenly falling.

 _"Oh, really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap"_ His words were softly scolding the man for his actions but there was no malice in his words. Sam found it easy to banter with this blonde stranger. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again but this time with a more playfully sarcastic tone. _"Did you just take it? I assumed you just took it"_ The reply was one that he wasn't expecting to hear.

 _"What unit you with?"_ The man said, with a curiosity that was almost tangible as he spoke. Sam's eyebrows lifted in surprise but soon enough he answered honestly. _"Eighth, Pararescue. But now I'm working down at the VA. Sam Wilson"_ He introduced himself finally, the blonde held his hand out in direct response to his words.

 _"Steve Rogers"_ He replied with a small smile upon his lips. Sam's thoughts on how this man had been confirmed. Captain America, the man frozen in time. The sun shone brightly over their heads, as the pieces began to fall into place. He had considered the possibility that this man might of been Captain Steve Rogers who had saved the world twice.

 _"I kind of put that together. Must have freaked you out coming home after the whole defrosting thing"_ He said confirming what he already knew to Steve before sheepishly changing the topic, not wanting to make the conversation anymore awkward than it already was. _"It takes some getting used to. It's good to meet you, Sam"_ Steve spoke, honesty rung through. He was slowly getting used to the fact that he was struck here, seventy years in the future leaving those he knew in the past, behind him with no way of them catching up with him. He turns to leave, it's time to head back home. Sam could tell that something was bothering Steve, why else would he be out here to run, clearly not to see the sights. He was running to escape the thoughts rushing through his mind.

 _"It's your bed, right?"_ Sam questioned, he had seen the signs before. The question had stopped Steve in his tracks, he turned his head to look back at the man before turning to completely face him. _"What's that?"_ Steve replied, wanting to see where this line of question was leading.

 _"Your bed, it's too soft. When I was over there I'd sleep on the ground and use rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed, and it's like.._ " Sam explained, remembering those nights vividly, as if it had only been yesterday. Those nights were unforgettable. He stopped mid-sentence as he tried to find the right word to explain the feeling of laying in bed at night away from the sounds and horrors theatre of war.

 _"Lying on a marshmallow. Feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor"_ Steve finished the sentence for him, knowing what Sam felt at night, for he had experienced it each and every night that he laid his head down to sleep. Sam could only smile back at Steve, words had escaped him as the blonde man had hit the nail on the head. Understanding exactly what he went through when his head meet the soft pillow upon the bed.

 _"How long?"_ Steve was curious about Sam, he could easily see a few similarities between himself and this man stood mere feet away. He could understand the struggles of coming away from the field of war. They were men who had been rearranged and scarred by their experiences, by what they saw and lived through.

 _"Two tours"_ He started, each time he had gone back, Sam knew that he had returned a slightly different man. He was happy to be home but yet memories of war remained at the forefront of his mind haunting him from the moment that he closed his eyes.

 _"You must miss the good old days, huh?"_ He continued speaking as he crossed his arms, this time bouncing the question back to Steve's court. He wanted to dig a little deeper, hoping that he would answer. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Steve had returned his verbal serve as he began to speak.

 _"Well, things aren't so bad. Food's a lot better, we used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot trying to catch up"_ Steve reminisced, speaking for the both past and present. Remembering days with his mother when she would boil his clothes clean but things had rapidly moved on since then, without him.

 _"Marvin Gaye, 1972, "Trouble Man" soundtrack. Everything you've missed jammed into one album"_ Sam offered up, it was something that he had fond memories of, days and nights that spend jamming to that album brought a smile to his face. Those were good days, days before he went off to war like a good soldier.

Steve nodded, eagerly listening to the suggestion that had been freely offered up to him. _"I'll put it on the list"_ He replied, as he pushed a hand into his pocket, pulling out a small notebook and pen. He was going to add this to his growing list of events, music, movies and food that he had missed out on. Things to experience, moments to make. He scribbles down the title of the album at the bottom of the list but before he could thank Sam, he heard the now familiar sound of his phone going off in his other pocket, alerting him that a message had just come through.

Steve's eyes takes in the message, quickly reading what was written on the small screen before he then raises his gaze to meet Sam's again before speaking and holding his hand as a sign of a friendly parting of ways. _"Alright, Sam, duty calls. Thanks for the run. If that's what you wanna call running"_ His words joking poking at the other man. Sam chuckles before quickly taking the hand offered to him, before shaking it.

" _Oh, that's how it is?"_ He teased back, the mood becoming lighter than before. It was almost as if they had been friends for years, teasing and poking fun at one another _"Oh, that's how it is"_ Steve said without hesitation returned the quip, his smile reaching his eyes. It felt good to connect with a fellow soldier. Steve turns once more, to walk away.

 _"Okay. Any time you wanna stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know"_ Sam offered, laughing as he spoke knowing that there were other veterans like Steve who could always use a place to meet fellow soldiers, who understand what it was like going from the battlefield to home, struggling to adjust and accept the peace. Steve turned back around, to face Sam again to listening to his words, to his offer. _"I'll keep it in mind."_ Steve replied, with a smile upon his lips and promise lingering in his words as he spoke.

 _"Okay"_ Sam responded quickly as the sound of car engine grew louder, closer. A black car with tinted windows pulled up on the curb beside them. The passenger side window rolled down, to revealed a red haired woman behind the wheel. _"Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."_ She calls out to them, there was a playfulness to her words as she spoke. She was teasing them, well one of them at least.

 _"That's hilarious."_ Steve answers as he makes his way over to the parked vehicle. He reached for the door handle, pulling it open and without hesitation got it beside the woman. Sam took in the picture before him, a beautiful car with a just as beautiful woman driving it around the city. He wasn't going to miss the chance to say something. _"How you doing?"_ He flirted, smiling at her taking in what he could see. _"Hey"_ She answered back, with a quick greeting.

 _"Can't run everywhere"_ Steve said, breaking the silence that had lingered in the moments after Natasha had spoken. _"No you can't"_ Sam called back, taking one final look at both Steve and the red haired woman before the window quizzed back and the car darted away. What a strange morning it had been for him, he had not expected this when he had left home.

* * *

 ** _London, England_**

 ** _Wolfe Ltd_**

Whispers in the dark had not failed to reach across the pond. She was still alive, Lila Wright was still out there. She had fallen off their radar for a few years but she would always reappeared. It had been her way for years. Lila was creature of habit, always reinventing herself in a town where no-one knew her story, her long entangled history that spanned decades.

 _"You never change, do you"_ A feminine voice spoke, looking down at the photo that sat in the centre of her desk. _"We've got your back Lila, We Wolfes are just as loyal as the animals whose name we bear"_ They continued, a friendliness lingered in the words as if they had been friends for years but this was not the case. Sybil Colvin-Wolfe had never had the chance to meet the woman in question. Her beloved had always told her that Lila wasn't ready, that she had been avoiding them for decades. For Elise had left instructions and warnings in her will for those left behind, and for those who were not yet born.

 _"Maybe it's time we met and welcomed you back in the fold like Elise did all those years ago"_ She said loudly to the empty room, the words echoing back to her as they bounced off the walls. She smiled widely, before pressing the intercom. _"Joseph, can you let the Missus and Kia know, that I'll be late home tonight. I have a important meeting to prepare for. One that simply can't wait"_ She said through the speaker to her trusty assistant, she hated missing dinners with both of her lady loves but this was something that could not be put on hold. Lila Wright might not be ready but the Wolfe family was.

 ** _It was time for a reunion, that was had been put on hold for far too long_**


	11. Is this what I wanted?

_**Three weeks later**_

' _Just get through the day, like yesterday'_ Lila mentally told herself, each and every new morning that presented itself. She knew exactly what lay ahead in the coming hours. Her handler had made sure of that, made sure that she didn't stick out from the crowd, that she got up went to work before coming home once more. This was her daily cycle, whilst being watched at every turn, no matter where she went.

This was it, a humdrum existence that she had wanted but yet at the same time, it felt bland and empty. As if it lacked something, that she could simply not name. Lila knew that something was missing in new existence that had to accept was her own. This sense of peace that she had strived for so long was incomplete.

Lila could not help but miss the days that passed, those coffee mornings that filled a void in her day. Then it hit her, even though now she knew that moments had been staged, she no longer cared. She had forgiven Agent Cade for the deceit as for once again, she hadn't been truly alone in this world.

Her shoulders dropped very so slightly, as the weight of realization set in. This was her bed and now she must lie in it. It was going to be lonely world for her but this was her price was anonymity in truly connected universe.

The scale had shifted against her, she had been toppled into a world spinning out of her control. She had to just take one more step out of her homely styled prison cell, out into the sunlight with her fractured mask displayed for all to see but they would never see what was concealed beneath.

Her eye flicked up to take in the time from across the room, to see how much time she had left. The edge of her lips briefly curled as she realised that she was running rather early. There was nothing special about the day, it was just another dull day. One that she would breeze through, just like all the others.

Pulling her gaze away from the clock, she returned her former task as she closed the threshold into the hall, letting the door swing shut behind her. Each step had felt heavy, as if chains had been wrapped her ankles weighing her down as she made her way down the hallway, passing each apartment door as she went. Lila knew that Agent Carter would be up and moving about, handling her laundry. Her routine was stiff and structured, everything decision was heavily thought out then actioned with her guard held high.

Lila had come to see how high those wall went, too high to be simply climbed over or torn down without a fight. She was woman protecting herself, like Lila was. They were just at different ends of the road. Lila Wright was at end staring back at a woman whom she may one day become. Once she had been the center of someone else's world, but that had been a lifetime ago. Her heart had soared, burning brightly for all to see. For Alexander, that sneaky thief of man had stolen and claimed it for his own, storing comfortably it next his. Trying to keep it and her feeling safe and loved. Oh and he had.

She hadn't truly felt complete, Alexander had been her safe place. His love had illuminated her world but not completely lit it up with all the colors of the rainbow bursting like fireworks in the night sky . She had confessed her strangeness, all of it to him and he had taken it to heart, taken it in his stride. He had been a most perplexing man to behold. He had tried when others would have stepped aside. He had not completely understood the depths of her emotions but he wanted her to be happy. He had wanted to simply be a part of her life, one way or another. Lila had let him in, under her defences and into her heart.

She had felt better, lighter and starting down a road to discover who she was with him by her side. Then her whole world had been consumed, he had been swallowed by the outbreak of war. He had been taken from her, sent to the front lines and walked straight to his death.

Lila's feet led her down the hallway, as she mused over the past, over the last man she had truly let in. This was a familiar path, one that she walked daily back and forth. She knew where she was going, her eyes remain fixed to the floor knowing that hardly any of her fellow tenants would be leaving their homes anytime soon. The last two weeks walking these halls at this hour of the morning, she could count on one hand the number of encounters she had with other people.

Three times she had found herself face to face with another person in one of the deserted hallway of her floor. Most of the time they had been coming into the building as she was leaving it. Each encounter had been civil but brief, lasting only a moment or two with only a hello being exchanged between them. It had always left her feeling empty, more lonely than before. As if no-one truly cared.

She had been too lost in her own thoughts to notice the sound of approaching footsteps. Lila just continued on her way, each step drawing her closer to collision. Life had halted in every way that Lila could think was possible. Being as closely monitored as she was, didn't leave much room for a blossoming personal relationships. Friends were almost out of the question, as she could no longer tell who was an Agent and who was a true innocent civilian who just wanted to connect.

To connect like she had with Agent Cade, it would be a start at the very least. Something that she could work with, something that could be deepen if time was on her side. Then again time was all she had these days. Lila could not help but scoff, remembering where she had been. She had been hiding from the world, wanting nothing more than fade into the background and exist through the next few years. Now here she was, wrapped up in cotton wool, just part of the furniture, part of the scenery.

 _She was anonymous_

Once now that she had found herself in a place that she had almost wishing for on a daily basis, did she see the truth of her reality. This was what she was not wanted. Far from it, her need to hide was simply blanketing something far greater, that had been pulling at her heartstrings silently in the background. Loneliness. Agent Cade had reopened a wound that she had long since healed over, before tossing it into the depths of her mind. Into a small, cold cage that could be easily forgettable, buried with the pain of the memories that were intertwined with that particular emotion.

Protection from the agony of losing another friend, another lover. Lila had simply been safeguarding her own heart, her own self from having to go through those distressing, soul destroying motions again. She had told herself this often, how could she not? Alexander's death had torn her heart into a million million tiny shards. It had taken a decade to even begin to glue those fragile pieces back together, to try and form that broken heart of her's again.

The first week had been a breeze, as she came to terms with the new routine that she had been given. Get up, go to work, come home, spend the evening at her leisure, go to sleep then rinse, latter and repeat the next morning. However by the second week, cracks had started to form in the monotonous way that her life had become. Doubts had started to emerge when she lay in bed, thinking over her day. Nothing major changed from day to day. It was always remarkable similar to the one that came before.

When week three had come around, then Lila had seen the light. No-one knocked at her door, there were no friendly neighbours who wanted a chat, to borrow this or that. They were singular individuals who wanted to live life without interference, without interruption that came with social interactions with those they shared a floor with. This very notion that caused the doubts to spring open, crack her thoughts, desire and notion forcing to take a hard glance at her life. Seeing what had always been there, to see what she had hidden away.

Lila, too deep in thought to notice as she collided with the solid frame of someone else. It was not hard enough to knock her off her feet but she did not faze her. She did not notice the bare skin of her wrist and palm connecting with another. As she began to walk away, Lila couldn't help notice the way that the vision in her left eye began to blur. It was as if she wandered haphazardly into a wall of fog drifting upwards to cloud her way. However it dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Lila's feet ground to halt, as she tried to process what just had occurred. The penny quickly dropped, she had made direct skin to skin contact with another. She didn't dare to look over her shoulder, instead she chose to keep her eyes fixed upon the path ahead and continue on her way. Choosing to block out that little voice in the back of her mind, telling her to stop and do what she born to do. Heal those cry out, be the one to take the agony and bare with smile.

' _You were born to heal Lila'_ Elise had told her time and time again but once more she pushed back, locking away that thought train, knowing exactly where it would lead. She shook her head, pulling herself back into reality. "I need to get a move on, I don't want to miss my train for the second time this week" She muttered softly to herself, knowing that there was enough distance between herself and stranger to finally speak.

If Lila had dared to glance back then she would have noticed him looking perplexed at her disappearing form as she walked out of sight, as the cogs in his mind turned, trying to process what had occured in this narrow hallway.

Her path had taken another corner, one step closer to a head on collision with a fate that she been running from since day one. Since secrets had been traded over a steaming hot cup of tea long ago. Elise's influence still lingered, barely holding onto Lila's coat tails. As she tried to steer her dear friend closer to the end goal, a true sense of happiness which had leaked out through the cracks of a damaged heart. Much like a tap that hadn't completely been shut off, dripping quietly in the background.

Happiness had been draining away from Lila's life, each new death had caused a the tap to burst into life. A stream of raw emotion had drained away in quick rush of water down the drain of life. The world around Lila had turned a washed out shade of what was. Color had all but vanished, more so with each passing year. The portrait of the world had faded quicker that art that hung silently for years in galleries across the world. Not that Lila noticed much change in her surroundings. Too many years had passed with this new normal for her to see any difference in the color of sky, of the grass or even her own eyes. She had all but forgotten the true colour of once vibrant gaze.

There hadn't been a second thought of such things, there was simply no need. This was her world, her dank ashen, lackluster world. One that would last as she long as she did.


	12. Darken my world

The hours melted away, as the sun retreated behind the clouds as night bleed into the sky consuming the day once more. Lila soon enough found her way back home, thoughts of the morning had long since passed out of her mind. She forced herself to forget the bizarre encounter.

For a moment, she had been dragged backwards through time, into the archive of memory that she kept under lock and key in the deepest depths of her subconscious. Into the memories of warfare. Into the memories of strings of chaotic decisions and terrifying realisations that had shaken her resolve, and had driven her down this lonely road. She had never considered that she might change, evolve and adapt, that she could take away another's pain. Yet she had.

Lila stood for a moment, holding back the tears as the images rolled by. She would easily imagine time around her melting away. Finding herself back there, back in those horrific conditions fighting to save those men from certain death. She had enlisted as a nurse, followed Alexander to the front lines or as close as she, as a woman could get.

The initial reasoning behind her own application had been completely selfish, that she would never deny. Alexander, the man who broke through her barriers, made her feel alive and loved. She had to protect him, pay his kindness and affection back ten fold. Afterall she couldn't be harmed. She could keep him safe from a storm of incoming bullets, right?

'How wrong was I" She muttered to herself, her words drowning with a wave of guilt and grief. As she climbed the stairs, one step at a time.

* * *

 _Lila pushed aside the tent door, entering the makeshift infirmary. Beds lined the walls, almost all of them with a man lying in them. Each one with a different degree of injury to the next one. The Doctor rushing between them whenever he could spare a moment. Her fellow nurses were just as rushed off their feet as they tried to keep the latest casualty from losing his life in the furthest corner of the tent._

 _However that wasn't what had caught her attention. No, it had been the looks that had been thrown in her direction from the second that she entered. The Doctor had signalled to the soldier positioned by the entrance. Private Jack Danielson beckoning him over. This wasn't unusual. This usually only meant one thing, the soldier in the bed in the doctor's professional option wasn't going to last the night. Private Danielson would be the one to inform the colonel, who would then write to the soldier's loved ones back home._

 _Lila had seen this done countless times but yet this felt different. None of the other nurses would dare to meet her gaze. Not Sally, not Vivienne and certainly not Elizabeth. She started to make her way over to them. Her lips pursed with questions ready to fall and be asked but a gentle hand upon her shoulder stopped her. She turned her head, to find herself staring into the dull green eyes of the Private. Confusion washed over her, as she tried to quickly interpret the mix of emotions held within his gaze/_

" _Nurse Wright, it might be best if you come with me" He said, his tone wavered for a moment but steadied as he continued to speak. "He doesn't have long left" As the last word fell from his lips, the hand upon her shoulder moved to begin guiding her towards the furthest corner of the tent. In the opposite direction, away from the nurses. Lila had remained silent, listening to the Private as he spoken but soon enough the penny dropped. Her world was spun upon its axis, rushing straight past her._

 _Horror set in hard and fast, her veins froze shut as her blood chilled by the very thought of who lay in that bed. This couldn't be her new reality, her face shakily turned, taking in the sight of pure white cotton sheets stained with fresh blood. The color drained from her skin, darting away, retreating into the depths. It was too much for her to take. It couldn't be him. It couldn't be her Alexander._

 _The loud, thumping her heart echoed in her ears, louder and louder with each step inching closer. Private Danielson remained behind her, just in case. He had to make sure that if she fainted that her head wouldn't collide with the ground below. Her eyes remained fixed on the end of bed, for if she didn't look then it wasn't him. The sound of Doctor Jameson was dulled out, merging into the background as she drew closer. She could hear singular words being shouted out but found it difficult to focus._

 _Her feet stopped mere inches away from the end of the cot. Her body shook as she stood there. "L...ila? Is that y...ou" A weak familiar voice called out, it sounded as if he was struggling to get the word out. His voice reminded her of a child calling out in the dark for their mother for comfort._

 _She forced herself to raise her gaze, trying not to linger upon his terrible, bloody wounds for longer than a second. His eyes, the window to his soul was all she longed to look with but instead her eyes fell upon his face. Layers of now off white fabric bandages were tightly wrapped around his eyes protecting them for further damage. Her hands moved from her side, gripping at the end of the makeshift bed. It's metal frame felt cold beneath her grip but it didn't matter in that moment. She needed something to hold onto, to hold herself up._

" _Alexander, I'm here" She proclaimed, knowing that her words were rushed. Lila wanted him to know that she was there with him. Tears had already begun to well up in the very corner of eyes. She held the flood back for as long as she could. He needed her to be strong for him. She was there for him in his hour of need, much like he had been all those years prior but only difference? There was nothing she could do to save him._

 _She had seen the bullet holes that littered his torso, they had easily pierced through his flesh as if he had been made of butter. Likely tearing holes out as they exited through his back. She could heal, this was true but only her own body. Her own injuries, not his. The guilt racked through her like a freight train. No longer could she hold back the tears, they without hesitation broke free, rushing down her cheeks like a river burst its banks. She sobbed her heart out, moving around the bed to stand at the head of bed taking at seat beside him._

 _She hadn't noticed that Doctor Jameson and Private Danielson slink away, giving her space and time. They both knew that he wouldn't last the night. They left the heartbroken nurse at her dying sweetheart's bedside. Not knowing how this would change her by the time the morning sun rose in the sky._

* * *

It was a moment that she would never forget. The day that Alexander slipped through her fingers. Passing into the waiting embrace of death, a bittersweet soothing sensation that had ended his suffering. The weight of his hand held within her own loosened, as he lost the battle and drifted away from her. The image of his hand slipping out of her own and dangling down at the side of the bed had been too much for her to bear. As a scream ripped from her lips, as she shoots up out of her seat towards his lifeless body.

Clinging to his shirt as she screeched "Don't leave me, Don't you dare leave me" Agony drenched her cries as her tears ran wild down her already reddened cheeks.

Losing Alexander had been a defining turning point in her life. It had shaped the path that she had walked from that moment onwards.

* * *

 _She lifted her head, as the sound of nearby patient's hissing in pain brought back for an instance. It sounded unlike the normal groans and moans that she had come accustomed to hearing on a daily basis. These were ones of momentary discomfort, mixed with that of surprise that lessened as the moment passed them by. She turned her head briefly away from the body of beloved. Her eyes widened at the sight of the man in the next bed, sitting up when the day before, he found it near impossible to move without pain._

 _Pain enveloped her, rushing hard into her chest. Crashing through her, forcing the air out of her lungs as it continued it's assault. Lila was battered with wave after wave of short, quick blasts peppering her arms, legs and chest. No part of her was spared. Her eyes turned downwards, widening in shock and fear at the sight of blood seeping through her uniform. Turning the once white garment, a terrifying shade of reddish pink. If anyone saw her, they would have thought that she had walked head first into enemy fire._

 _Blood dripped from her fingertips, coating the ground beneath where she sat. Her gaze began to waver, darkness crept in as her head flopped back. She too gave into sweet embrace as she fell into unconsciousness._

A slight smile across her lips, as she turned the corner. Her healing had changed that day too. She had drawn the wounds of the nearby soldiers into her, making them her own. Absorbing the damage, the pain before making it her own which she could heal. The first instance had taken all out of her. Lila had woken with a raging headache, her body ached something rotten. Wrapping herself up in Alexander's overcoat that had been left hanging on the chair.

The experience had left her numb, dazed and confused. She remembered very little of the weeks that followed. Each day blurred into the next. Lila had been left alone, grief her consistent companion. She couldn't stay at the encampment, Alex had died there, a piece of her as died with him.

 _BANG_

 _BANG_

 _BANG_

The series of loud, popping noises brought of her thoughts, her memories. Lila stopped in the middle of the hallway. She paused, considering what it might. Maybe children setting off firecrackers in an apartment at the end of the corridor. It could also be someone getting shot. She froze to the spot, unsure of what to do. She could help but yet at the same time, it might be all for nothing.

"Wright!" She lifted her head, finding Agent Carter a few feet away from where she stood, gun in hand in the doorway of apartment that was neither of theirs. "I need your help" Sharon quivered, the tremble in her voice lingered through the words. Fear and worry resonated across the empty hall. It was the latter, someone had been shot.


End file.
